Moesha is a CBS sitcom franchise created by Ralph Farquhar, Sara V. Finney and Vida Spears, which aired on UPN from January 23, 1996 – May 14, 2001 of the original series to August 30, 1999, completely through May 10, 2004 of the spinoff's five seasons that aired on UPN from 8 years of prime before the series cancellation and conclusion. The franchise's plot sets on the Famous R&B singer Brandy Norwood who plays the titular character Moesha Norwood who attends high school and lives with her family in Leimert Park, CA. Moesha became one of the UPN's biggest and successful shows. The show dealt with topics and difficult situations that teenagers might face such as pregnancy, drug use, death of a parent, and relationships at home.
Franchise's plot
Moesha
The series focused on the life of a black upper-middle-class family through the eyes of a typical girl named Moesha. Her father Frank, a widower and Saturn car salesman (and later owner of his own dealership, Brothers Saturn), has married Dee, the vice principal at Moesha's high school, much to Moesha's disapproval. The series was created by Ralph Farquhar, along with the writing team of Sara V. Finney and Vida Spears. The settings for the show include the Mitchell household, teen hangout The Den, and in some cases, Crenshaw High School, the school attended by Moesha, Kim, Niecy, and Hakeem. The sitcom was set in the Leimert Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.
The Parkers
On the franchise's spinoff series, This comedy series centers around a low-income mother and daughter who both attend Santa Monica College. Nikki Parker was forced to drop out of high school, nearly 20 years earlier, when she discovered she was pregnant. As the time arrived for her daughter to go to college, Nikki decided to go as well as a way to get an experience and education that was taken from her so many years earlier. Through a series of hilarious situations, Nikki has to adjust to the fact that her daughter is growing up, while Kim realizes that Nikki has a lot more going on in her life beyond being a mother.
Characters of the Franchise
Moesha
- Brandy Norwood as Moesha Denise "Mo" Mitchell – Like many teenagers, Moesha is trying to find her place in life. At every turn, Moesha, along with her friends and family, experiences new challenges and hilarious situations associated with the pressures and demands of growing up in an often confusing world. Moesha is headstrong, independent, and at times stubborn, but stands up for what she believes is right. She can sometimes be rebellious toward her father and stepmother. Through the first five seasons, Moesha would open the show speaking her thoughts into her diary. In Season 5, it's revealed that Moesha has a second brother, Dorian. She moves out after hearing this. Moesha is 15–16 years old in season 1, and is 20-21 by season 6.
- William Allen Young as Franklin "Frank" Mitchell – A Saturn car dealer and father to Moesha and Myles. Originally thought to be Dorian's uncle, he is later revealed to be the young man's father. Frank is also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. He is a graduate of Southern University and A&M College. Frank and Dee are strict disciplinarians to their children. He married Dee after his first wife, Moesha and Myles's mother, died.
- Sheryl Lee Ralph as Deirdre "Dee" Mitchell (Seasons 1–5; recurring in Season 6) A high school principal attempting to balance her career with two additional roles as wife to Frank and stepmother to Moesha and Myles. Dee is also a strict disclipinarian to the kids. She is originally from Jamaica and would speak in a thick Jamaican accent when talking about her childhood or when angered. It is implied that Dee is a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority due to a quote in the episode "Niece" in which Moesha says that she wouldn't be persuaded by Dee with Delta picnics. Ralph left her role as a main cast member following season 5. She did not appreciate the storyline in which the family discovered that Frank was Dorian's real father.
- Countess Vaughn as Kimberly Ann "Kim" Parker (Seasons 1–4) – Moesha's boy-crazy best friend who has a crush on Hakeem during the first two seasons, but later dates Michael. She leaves the show after the fourth season to star in her own spin-off series The Parkers with Mo'Nique, who played her mother, Nikki Parker. She and Nikki graduate from Crenshaw High School in 1999 and go on to study at Santa Monica College. Kim originally planned to go to the Fashion Institute of Leimert, but ended up going to SMC after the former shut down suddenly toward the end of her senior year of high school.
- Marcus T. Paulk as Myles Mitchell — Moesha's pesky younger brother. Early in the series, he is known mostly for playing practical jokes on his sister and her friends. Throughout the series, he progresses from 3rd grade to 8th grade.
- Lamont Bentley as Hakeem Campbell — A frequent visitor to the Mitchell household, he is Moesha's lifelong friend and neighbor, and later her boyfriend. In the spin-off The Parkers, it was revealed that he and Moesha were no longer in a relationship. He dated Kim's best friend Stevie Van Lowe (played by Jenna von Oÿ).
- Yvette Wilson as Andalusia Louise "Andell" Wilkerson (Seasons 1–5) — Moesha's adult friend and owner of the neighborhood hangout The Den. During season 5 she sells her establishment to a local funeral director. Andell is featured on the spin-off show The Parkers, where she owns a self-named restaurant and bar.
- Shar Jackson as Denise "Niecy" Jackson (Seasons 2–6; recurring in Season 1) — Moesha's best friend and later her roommate. She has four brothers and four sisters whom she has to care for during high school, so she does not find time to work during high school like her friends Hakeem and Moesha. Niecy also made a guest appearance in a season 1 episode of Girlfriends.
- Fredro Starr as Quinton "Q" Brooks (Seasons 2 & 3; recurring Seasons 4–6) — Moesha's longest-running love interest. He is from New York City and had an on-and-off relationship with Moesha until departing in the middle season 3 to manage a hip-hop group. Frank dislikes him, because he feels is a bad influence on Moesha. In season 6, Q proposes to Moesha and she accepts, but the engagement is called off when Q wants to sell Moesha's engagement ring to help support his hip-hop group on Thanksgiving.
- Ray J as Dorian Long (Seasons 5 & 6) — Moesha and Myles' long lost half-brother, previously said to be their cousin. Dorian is originally from Oakland, California, but runs away from his mother's home to live with the Mitchells. He was known to be a troublemaker back in Oakland so the Mitchells did not treat him lightly. Dorian is also an aspiring rapper going by the nickname, "D-Money". He graduates from high school during season 6.
The Parkers
- Kim Parker (Countess Vaughn): A ditzy college student and Nikki's daughter. Although she can be shallow, Kim has a kind heart and is close with Nikki. Kim is also a lead singer in the music group Free Style Unity, which also includes Stevie and T. At the end of series, she fails out of Santa Monica College but becomes a successful fashion designer.
- Nikki Parker (Mo'Nique): A boisterous, confident single mother, who embraces college life to the fullest. She is in love with Professor Oglevee, despite his apparent hatred of her. In the series finale, she eventually wins him over after five years of chasing him and they get married.
- Desiree Littlejohn (Mari Morrow): Initially, the Parkers' neighbor and Nikki's friend. She only appears in the first season and is uncredited as a regular after six episodes. She is not seen after episode 13. It was stated that creator, Ralph Farquhar, wrote her off because he wanted a stronger dynamic with another one of his characters. She was replaced by Yvette Wilson.
- Professor Stanley Oglevee (Dorien Wilson): A handsome professor at Santa Monica College. Although he prides himself on his intelligence, he often becomes embroiled in hare-brained schemes, often due to his own foolishness. Although he is initially repulsed by Nikki's affections, he eventually declares his love for her, and they marry in the series finale.
- Stevie Alison Van Lowe (Jenna von Oÿ): A sarcastic, intelligent white college student as well as Kim's best friend. Stevie is from a affluent family and has a tempestuous relationship with her mother. She is also a member of the music group Free Style Unity, alongside Kim and T. Upon graduating from Santa Monica College, Stevie attends UCLA and goes into business with Kim.
- Thaddeus Tyrell "T" Radcliffe (Ken Lawson): A flirtatious, attractive college student as well as friend to Kim and Stevie. He is also a member of the music group Free Style Unity. At the end of the series, T goes on to attend Berklee College of Music.
- Andell Wilkerson (Yvette Wilson): Nikki's level-headed best friend. Andell originated as a regular character on Moesha and appears on The Parkers in a recurring role during the first season; she became a main character in the middle of Season 1. From Season 3 onward, she is the owner of a restaurant called Andell's. At the end of the series, she marries her boyfriend, Lester.
Media
Main
- Main article: Moesha (television series)
The series debuted in January 23, 1996 as the UPN's best African comedy sitcoms in the world for 5 years with 6 seasons and 127 episodes before the series' cancellation and conclusion on May 14, 2001. The series' production relies mostly on Brandy Norwood's teen R&B music talent and the different versions of the show's opening credits theme song.
Television Special
- Main article: Moesha: A Concerted Effort
On November 5, 1996, The 1-hour tv special starts when Moesha wins four tickets to a concert, but finds herself a ticket short after reuniting with Q. Moesha tries to make Q jealous when she meets Montell Jordan, but they eventually talk over their differences, and she takes him to meet Frank. Kim and Nicey try to gain access to the concert and continually fail. Eventually Q's cousins fulfil their dreams by performing for Kim and Nicey.
Spinoff
- Main article: The Parkers
The Parkers is the only spinoff of the franchise that has a close relationship with the characters of the Moesha television series. Likely, Several Moesha cast members (including Brandy Norwood, William Allen Young, Shar Jackson, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Marcus T. Paulk) made crossover appearances on The Parkers. Lamont Bentley, being the most frequent, appearing in three episodes. The production of "The Parkers" was produced by Saradipity Productions, Regan Jon Productions (Season 1 only), and Big Ticket Television. The show's reruns are currently distributed by CBS Television Distribution.
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